Residences have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Somerset, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of homeowners. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Somerset homeowners is Electricity, used by 617,773 homes (17%). The rest of the homes are heated with Heating Oil (5%), Propane (2%), Other (0.4%), and Solar (0.3%).

Somerset County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)

Year	Natural Gas	Propane	Electricity	Oil	Wood	Solar	Other
2025	2,627,206	70,406	617,773	185,324	10,688	11,798	14,006
2024	2,623,428	66,233	592,186	198,050	10,223	10,926	13,381
2023	2,552,593	95,605	606,537	215,314	10,749	9,388	20,755
2022	2,560,329	89,511	568,299	231,690	10,054	7,925	17,145
2021	2,545,038	87,258	555,363	240,765	9,820	7,643	19,506
2020	2,509,666	79,338	501,738	241,254	10,094	6,464	16,414
2019	2,474,295	71,419	448,114	241,742	10,368	5,284	13,323
2018	2,435,183	67,930	437,888	258,889	12,069	4,626	14,313
2017	2,425,008	62,490	415,119	271,265	11,994	4,801	12,938
2016	2,389,530	59,916	423,650	271,179	13,466	3,212	14,924
2015	2,398,744	61,082	385,792	299,222	14,398	1,781	12,721
2014	2,393,423	62,396	384,329	309,236	14,471	1,748	13,957
2013	2,354,824	60,943	388,226	329,733	17,421	1,270	10,710
2012	2,368,222	60,990	377,997	356,378	13,974	1,002	10,889
2011	2,342,608	58,315	360,855	376,568	11,869	332	7,917
2010	2,344,455	63,241	343,112	392,540	11,886	325	8,439

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Somerset

Heating oil has become less frequently used in Somerset. In the 10 years since 2015, the number of families using number two heating oil declined from 299,222 to 185,324, a 38% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Somerset

Between 2015 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 61,082 to 70,406, a 15% change. Comparing 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel grew from 2,398,744 to 2,627,206, a 10% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Somerset

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Somerset. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 385,792 to 617,773, a 60% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Somerset

The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Now, 11,798 homes in Somerset are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 562% gain from 2015, when 1,781 homes used active solar heating.

Somerset County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Somerset County homeowners purchased a total of 4 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Somerset’s overall number two heating oil usage varies yearly as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn increasing amounts of fuel oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Somerset was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Somerset County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	33.5° F
2023 - 2024	38.2° F

Somerset County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Somerset households heating with oil, selecting which of the 33 heating oil companies that serve Somerset can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 71 “full-service” oil companies that serve Somerset. Full service companies such as Patriot Discount Oil or Skylands Energy Service offer customers annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic number two heating oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s number two heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The household does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.

Discount Oil Companies: also referred to as “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for households who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. Some of the 2 Somerset cash heating oil companies serving Somerset include Hackettstown Corporation and Affordable Oil.

Somerset Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Oil Companies Serving Somerset: 33 companies .
Average Number of Somerset Houses Served per Heating Oil company : 5616

Somerset Heating Oil Delivery Overview

185,324 residences in Somerset heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Somerset temperatures drop as low as 28.8° F each winter. 5.2% of Somerset houses rely on oil delivery each winter.

2.6% of Somerset County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Somerset County Households	Somerset County Heating Oil Households
7.1M	185,324

230 Somerset Fuel Oil Companies You Can Trust

With 169,797,916 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Somerset homes last winter, the Somerset community looks to its 230 oil companies when temperatures dip. Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Somerset, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Linden, NJ and Sunoco in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the fuel oil to residences and companies throughout Somerset and the surrounding region.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties